The NDP had an eventful week at Queen’s Park, but not for the right reasons. While she’s been riding the Greenbelt wave since the summer, chef Marit Stiles would certainly have preferred not to be the center of attention this time. The exclusion of a representative from her group highlighted deep divisions in this party.
Contrary to what the NDP suggested, the decision to expel Sarah Jama was not the result of consensus.
The leader says she fired her not because of her comments about Israel (which sparked all this controversy), but because of the way she did things that she considered too independent.
For example, when she addressed the House of Representatives on Monday to defend herself against a government motion aimed at censuring her, Ms. Jama changed her speech at the last minute, leaving aside a watered-down version from the party.
In other words, Ms. Stiles and other members of the caucus were angered by the magnitude of this story and began to view it as a free electron.
The day after she was kicked out, the cook, already ready to move on, showed up at a press conference to talk about housing. “We have serious issues that need to be addressed to improve the lives of Ontarians,” she said, trying to reframe the debate.
The week was still young.
In the hours and days that followed, a representative expressed her dissatisfaction. Jill Andrew said she was surprised by the decision to exclude her colleague. She also denounced words used by the party in a press release that she said conveyed stereotypical views of black women who were perceived as difficult.
Two riding associations also directly challenged Ms. Stiles’ leadership, with the Kitchener Center outright calling for her resignation.
Meanwhile, the chairman’s constituency office has been destroyed and a petition is circulating calling for Ms Jama’s return.
Ms. Stiles reiterated that her decision was very difficult to make, but it was necessary to move forward as a team.
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Sarah Jama now sits in Queen’s Park as an independent. She is also the target of a government proposal aimed at stripping her of the right to speak in the House of Representatives.
Photo: NPD (official photo)
There are several currents among the New Democrats that the party sometimes struggles to reconcile: the more traditional labor base, the labor movement and members with community activist backgrounds who lean more to the left.
By excluding Ms. Jama, the party has deprived itself of a voice of diversity, lamented this week Laura Mae Lindo, former NDP MP, the voice of a young black Ontarian, activist for the rights of disabled people, who symbolized a new one for the party Generation of MPs who came into politics to do things differently.
This case represents Ms. Stiles’ first real test of leadership since her promotion to this position. Remember that the leader was elected last winter without opposition, which puts her in a complicated position under the circumstances.
Although her candidacy was endorsed by members, Ms. Stiles cannot say she won the leadership race or that she was able to mobilize the troops.
By comparison, the Liberal Party often points to it being at the center of a closely contested four-candidate leadership race. The surge among New Democrats benefits the Liberals, who are sending a message that they are focused on rebuilding themselves, but without arguments.
The Ford government in particular is the big winner from this situation. After the Greenbelt, another major about-face from the Ford government went almost under the radar this week in the city limits of a dozen Ontario municipalities.
Disunited, the NDP is once again missing the opportunity to show that it can be an alternative to the Ford government in the next election, but is also failing in its duties as the official opposition, because it is he who at the moment thinks he himself must be held accountable .